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Sony Mobile will release the Xperia XZ2 Premium Android flagship in August, some four months following its mid-April announcement, the Japanese division of the company revealed on Sunday. While that availability window only applies to the firm’s home country, the majority of its previously released mobile products went on sale in Japan before being introduced globally, with rumors of a delayed Xperia XZ2 Premium market debut already circulating the industry for several weeks now.
It’s presently unclear why Sony isn’t releasing its most high-end Android smartphone to date sooner, though some of its predecessors are said to have been delayed due to component supply issues, particularly in regards to Qualcomm’s chips. The Xperia XZ2 Premium is powered by the Snapdragon 845, the same silicon found inside the vast majority of 2018 flagships, both released and upcoming. Sony’s chip supply chain is still unlikely to have played a role in the availability of the Xperia XZ2 Premium given how both the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are already available for purchase or will be released later this month in most Western markets featuring the same SoC.
The delayed commercial debut may result in a loss of interest from consumers and will pit the Xperia XZ2 Premium directly against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 that’s likely to be announced at Berlin, Germany-based IFA in late August and become available for purchase in September. Apple is also likely to introduce new iPhone models by early fall, with the world’s two largest smartphone vendors hence both being set to release products that will compete with the Xperia XZ2 Premium shortly after Sony’s next offering hits the market. That state of affairs is unlikely to help the company’s bottom line in the mobile segment, with that division already losing some $250 million over course of 2017, according to Sony‘s latest consolidated financial report. Commercially successful premium smartphones are generally important for profitability in the industry as they allow for much higher profit margins than mid-range and entry-level products.